1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to the field of data processing systems, and more particularly, the field of increasing scheduling efficiency utilizing data processing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
The advent of the computer has facilitated the exchange of information and has transformed modern work environments via the use of applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc. While a stand-alone computer with word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications installed enables a user to quickly enter and process information, networked computers facilitate the rapid exchange of information via a network, such as the Internet. A user typically navigates and exchanges information over the network through the use of web browsers, e-mail clients, file transfer protocol (FTP) clients, and other types of communication applications. The use of networks such as the Internet as a communication medium enables users to communicate from remote locations, reducing the need for costly face-to-face meetings.
With increased reliance on network-based work environments, software applications have been developed to enhance the efficiency and productivity of workers. One type of application that has emerged is an electronic calendar, also known as a “personal information and time manager”. Some personal information and time managers are coupled with e-mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook™. Coupling e-mail clients with personal information and time managers enable users to send and receive e-mail messages and schedule appointments in the same application interface. Also, a user can immediately make an appointment in response to an c-mail message with a combined interface offered by Outlook™.
Lotus Organizer™ is one example of a popular electronic, personal information and time manager for scheduling appointments, making to-do lists, maintaining address lists, managing contacts, and more. The multi-access, multi-user database format utilized in Organizer™ allows multiple users to share the same file for group calendar planning, contacts, and task management. Organizer™ has a group scheduling feature that enables a user to schedule a meeting and invite other users to attend. Often, meetings may be set for the same time or overlapping times. A user must mentally prioritize between overlapping meetings and manually accept or decline meeting invitations. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method of automating calendar entry selections to address the aforementioned limitations.